The Grand Turk Cruise Center suffered minor damage as Hurricane Irene lashed the island as a category 2 hurricane on Tuesday. Located 470 miles south of Nassua, the Carnival corp. built cruise center covers more than 14 acres, can berth two ships, accommodate up to 7,000 passengers per day and has the Caribbean’s largest “Margaritaville”-themed bar and restaurant.
Just how bad was the damage? A spokesman for Carnival told us, “Personnel flew into Grand Turk today to conduct a detailed survey of the Grand Turk Cruise Center and confirm that damage is minor. The facility is scheduled to begin receiving cruise ships again starting this Saturday, Aug. 27.”
Dallas, Texas resident Mitch Peterson, who’s vacationing on Grand Turk, told us via email that the damage was minimal for having wind gusts of 107 mph.
The Grand Turk Cruise Center had a record year in 2010 with over 625,000 cruise passengers and 250 ports calls. The facility is used by Carnival, Holland America, Princess Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Silversea Cruises, P&O Cruises, and Rengent.
Photo Credit: Cruise Radio Facebook
